No "fiscal cliff" vote in House Monday

Technically, the country will go over the "fiscal cliff" at midnight tonight, however, the significant progress in congressional negotiations signal that any time over the "cliff" should be brief.

House Republicans told their ranks that there will be no votes on any "cliff"-related legislation today and barring an unexpected change, the House will reconvene at noon on New Year's Day.

Meantime, President Obama and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., indicated today that they're close to a deal to avoid tax increases and spending cuts that take effect at midnight.

• Finally, a "fiscal cliff" breakthrough
• "Fiscal cliff" deal rests with Biden and McConnell

With negotiations still ongoing and the timing of a vote on a "cliff" deal still in flux, the House's announcement means the deadline will pass without averting the "cliff"; the Senate could still pass a deal tonight but without House passage, the president doesn't have a bill to sign into law.

And although the country technically goes over the "cliff" at midnight, the significant progress in the negotiations signals any detrimental impact from the "cliff" will be avoided, even if a vote happens after midnight - that is, unless a deal is eventually voted down in Congress or the talks collapse altogether before a vote.

Assuming a deal is passed and signed by the president Tuesday or Wednesday, included in that deal will likely be language that retroactively reverses any effects of going over the "cliff", therefore negating any negative impact of missing the deadline.

[venusvegasvada]

Thanks GOP! Keep doing nothing!

[Shibbol]

Perhaps voters should consider putting the House on permanent disability....without any payments until it does something positive. President Truman called the 1946 Congress "Do Nothing". What would he think of these jokers who have passed way less in the way of legislation, other than naming a few post offices and passing resolutions against things which a majority of voters favor?

[SteveCali]

Well, it is New Year's Eve. Going out and getting drunk and wearing stupid hats is about the most productive thing the House has done this year.

[Com_on_Man]

Less be honest here, those who voted the president in for his second term don't care about a fiscal cliff, national debt, inflation, monetization of debt, etc... They are drones that are instructed by the bias media how to think, what to believe, and how they should react. What ever happened to the "watchdog media corp" of the old? Com_On_Man!

[john5673]

I told you that extreme right wing Congress will do their best until the END to show their true color. But Americans have been woke-up and soon they will be booted out from the Congress in the coming election. They do not deserve the place of the general public but they moved to their own corners in RED STATES.

[Sugarbabesbarn]

They will wait until the drop dead deadline. They don't care if people sit on the edge of their seats waiting for some "closure". They should ALL be fired. FIRED! They are not doing their job and if any one of the WORKING AMERICANS do not get their job done on time they are history.
I guess this means more riots and violence while the New Year's Eve nut cases lose their wits. I guess this will mean the welfare boards will have line ups around the blocks of the cities worse off because unemployment is at a standstill. What is wrong with these Congressional Leaders? Don't they see that people will revolt? Angry and frustrated, worried people held hostage to the people we put in office. For the first time, I had to actually laugh. Obama said one thing right today. "They will wait until the very last moment if they think they have one". (something like that) And John McCain got so mad at the TRUTH. Make a decision already, you all get your raises tomorrow. Its on snopes, its true. JERKS!

[jdis66]

How come not one television news channel has been reporting how the President Obama gave Congress a raise when everyone else in American have not had a raise or something of the sort? We have a dysfunctional Congress who the President gives a raise to? I find this to be a slap in the face to the American People.

[Youknow88]

Gimme a break !

US government workers got a 0.5% increase. That is one half of one percent over the last three years.

All welfare, food stamp, disability, social security, medicare, medicaid, etc recipients have received much larger increases.

[IzzyLogsdon]

Actually, the salaries for Congressmen have been the same for the entire Obama presidency: $174,000 a year.

More importantly, the president doesn't set Congressional salaries. He can approve or veto legislation raising salaries, but he can't write the legislation. The legislation that sets salaries comes from Congress itself, which gets to determine how much it's members are paid. (Nice work if you can get it, right? Wish we could all set our own pay.)

So, basically, the news media isn't reporting on it because A) it isn't true and B) even if it were, it wouldn't be Obama's fault.